Bert Freed
Acting
Born: November 3, 1919 · The Bronx, New York USA
Died: August 2, 1994 (aged 74)
Highest Rated
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Bert Freed (November 3, 1919 — August 2, 1994) was a prolific American character actor, voice over actor, and the first actor to portray "Detective Columbo" on television. Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Freed began acting while attending Penn State University, and made his Broadway debut in 1942. Following World War II Army service in the European Theatre, he appeared in the Broadway musical The Day Before Spring in 1945 and dozens of television shows between 1947 and 1985. His film debut occurred, oddly enough, in a musical Carnegie Hall (1947). A prominent role was as the villainous Ryker in the television series Shane, in which Freed added a unique touch of realism by beginning the show clean-shaven and growing a beard from one week to the next, never shaving again through the season. Freed played Columbo in a live 1960 episode of the "Chevy Mystery Theatre" seven years before Peter Falk played the role. Thomas Mitchell also played the part on stage prior to Falk's version, which is probably where many of the eccentric Columbo traits originated; only a few were visible in Freed's straightforward interpretation, although the character as played by Freed is recognizably Columbo. He appeared (sometimes more than once) in television shows such as The Rifleman, Bonanza, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley,The Virginian, Mannix, Barnaby Jones, Charlie's Angels, Then Came Bronson, Run For Your Life, Get Smart, The Lucy Show, Hogan's Heroes, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Dr. Kildare, Ben Casey, Perry Mason, Combat!, Petticoat Junction, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Route 66, Ironside, The Green Hornet, The Munsters, and many, many more. He directed one episode of T.H.E. Cat. Freed appeared as a racist club owner in No Way Out (1950), a gangster in Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town (1950), a Marine private in Halls of Montezuma (1951 film), an Army sergeant in Take the High Ground! (1953), the Police Chief in Invaders From Mars (1953), Sgt. Boulanger in Paths of Glory (1957), the hangman in Hang 'Em High (1968), Max's father in Wild in the Streets (1968), as Chief of Detectives in Madigan (1968), a homosexual prison guard in There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) and Bernard's father in Billy Jack (1971) in which he got "whumped" on the side of the face by Billy Jack's right foot "just for the hell of it." He retired from acting in 1986, and died of a heart attack in Canada in 1994 while on a fishing trip with his son. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bert Freed, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known for
Paths of Glory
1957
Knight Rider
1982
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
1962
Hang 'em High
1968
The Munsters
1964
Get Smart
1965
Mission: Impossible
1966
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
Charlie's Angels
1976
Invaders from Mars
1953
Where the Sidewalk Ends
1950
Norma Rae
1979
Photos (2)
Movies (52)
Paths of Glory
Sgt. Boulanger
Hang 'em High
Schmidt
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Ben Golden
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
American Soldier (uncredited)
Norma Rae
Sam Dakin
Nevada Smith
Quince
There Was a Crooked Man...
Skinner
The Desperate Hours
Tom Winston
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Det. Sgt. Paul Klein
The Gazebo
Joe Jenkins
Detective Story
Det. Dakis
Invitation to a Gunfighter
Sheriff
Invaders from Mars
Police Chief A.C. Barrows
Madigan
Chief of Detectives Hap Lynch
The Company She Keeps
Smitty
The Cobweb
Abe Irwin
711 Ocean Drive
Steve Marshak (uncredited)
Men of the Fighting Lady
Lt. (jg) Andrew Szymanski
The Long, Long Trailer
Foreman
No Way Out
Rocky Miller (uncredited)
Fate Is the Hunter
Dillon
Key to the City
Emmy's Husband
Boomerang!
Herron, a Man in Alley Mob
Halls of Montezuma
Slattery
Barracuda
Jack
Skag
Bishop
The Swinger
Police Captain
Red Mountain
Sgt. Randall
The Goddess
Lester Brackman
Billy Jack
Mr. Stuart Posner
Evel Knievel
Doc Kincaid
P.J.
Police Lieutenant
The Subterraneans
Bartender
Death Scream
Det. Ross
The Andersonville Trial
Board of Military Judges
The Plot to Kill Stalin
Sokolovsky
Take the High Ground!
Sgt. Vince Opperman
Twilight of Honor
Sheriff Buck Wheeler
Love and the Midnight Auto Supply
Mayor John Randolph
Shock Treatment
Frank Josephson
The Atomic City
Emil Jablons
Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town
Dutch (Third New York Henchman)
Tangier Incident
Kozad
Are You My Mother?
Bert
In the Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan
Dr. Julius Korein
Wild in the Streets
Max Jacob Flatow, Sr.
Then Came Bronson
Editor Carson
Incident at Vichy
Marchand, A Businessman
Breakout
Fletcher
The Strike
Chick
Why Must I Die
Adler
Unidentified Flying Objects: The True Story of Flying Saucers
Dayton Colonel
TV Shows (87)
Perry Mason
Ken Woodman · 1 eps
Perry Mason
Harry Parker · 1 eps
Perry Mason
Carl Holman · 1 eps
Perry Mason
Joe Marshall · 1 eps
Ironside
2 eps
Knight Rider
Anthony Solan · 1 eps
Hogan's Heroes
Maj. Bernsdorf · 1 eps
The Rifleman
2 eps
Mannix
1 eps
The Lucy Show
Miller · 1 eps
Peter Gunn
1 eps
The Virginian
Milo Henderson · 1 eps
The Virginian
Jason Ainsworth · 1 eps
Get Smart
Badeff · 1 eps
Charlie's Angels
Stambler · 1 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
Al Rago · 1 eps
The Philco Television Playhouse
1 eps
Dr. Kildare
Dr. Donald White · 1 eps
Dr. Kildare
Director · 1 eps
Mission: Impossible
Leon Chandler · 2 eps
Mission: Impossible
Gen. Brenner · 1 eps
The Partridge Family
Mr. Sharp · 1 eps
Combat!
Sgt. Weber · 1 eps
Cannon
2 eps
The Streets of San Francisco
2 eps
Studio One
Chick · 1 eps
Studio One
Malone · 1 eps
Studio One
Mike Jannis · 1 eps
Studio One
Lt. Burke · 1 eps
Barnaby Jones
Det. Capt. Ben Wyatt · 1 eps
Tarzan
1 eps
The Munsters
1 eps
The Big Valley
Judge Ben Coulter · 1 eps
The Big Valley
Henry Marvin · 1 eps
The Big Valley
Homer Roberts · 1 eps
Petticoat Junction
Detective Horton · 1 eps
Route 66
1 eps
Run for Your Life
Sheriff Parsons · 1 eps
The Outer Limits
Joe Hayden · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Al Clovis · 1 eps
Gunsmoke
Chris Thornton · 1 eps
The High Chaparral
Telford Burris · 1 eps
Ben Casey
2 eps
The Fall Guy
1 eps
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Capt. Harvey Ellison · 1 eps
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Cooper · 1 eps
The Millionaire
M / Sgt. Matthew Brogan · 1 eps
Adventures in Paradise
Michael Dannora · 1 eps
McCloud
Packy Keefe · 1 eps
Police Story
1 eps
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1 eps
77 Sunset Strip
1 eps
The Rookies
1 eps
Vega$
1 eps
Laramie
Sgt. Abe Jordan · 1 eps
The Detectives
1 eps
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
Capt. Akins · 1 eps
Lancer
1 eps
The Guns of Will Sonnett
1 eps
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
1 eps
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Lieutenant · 1 eps
Startime
Couver · 1 eps
The Mod Squad
1 eps
Mr. Novak
Lorimer · 1 eps
The Green Hornet
Police Sgt. Bert Clark · 1 eps
Arrest and Trial
1 eps
Riverboat
Kester · 1 eps
Law of the Plainsman
Benson · 1 eps
Bourbon Street Beat
1 eps
The Thin Man
1 eps
Bronk
1 eps
Decoy
Lieutenant Rosenberg · 1 eps
The Outsider
1 eps
Paper Moon
1 eps
Cain's Hundred
Dave Reed · 1 eps
Tightrope
1 eps
Target: The Corruptors!
1 eps
The Sixth Sense
1 eps
The Loner
1 eps
Darkroom
Charlie's Dad · 1 eps
Johnny Staccato
2 eps
The Dakotas
Lloyd Mitchell · 1 eps
Shane
Rufe Ryker · 15 eps
General Electric Theater
Mitch Green · 1 eps
General Electric Theater
Armstrong · 1 eps
Lincoln
Edwin Stanton · 2 eps
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Pete Johnson · 1 eps
